Cheerleaders Joe Scudder ’53 and Tom Hoban ’53 recall Seattle Prep as the equivalent of a 1A school playing schools as large as Everett with 2,500 student

s in three grades. Despite Prep’s small size, the school won several state championships. “The Cross State league was by far the toughest around with Bellingham, Everett, Bremerton and two Tacoma schools, but we held our own,” recalls Scudder.

It was his own small size that led Hoban to cheer after being rejected from all athletic tryouts. But he, Scudder and their teammates might have had the upper hand since they often visited the opposing side at half-time to trade yells. “I was always surprised at how popular and respected we were when we visited away games. Our megaphones had to be 25 years old and we didn’t have uniforms, so we just tried to wear school colors,” Hoban recalled. “It was an added bonus that most of the other schools were co-ed!”